Welcome to the March 2023 edition of WIPAC Monthly. In this edition we very much concentrate on the storm overflows issue. In our feature article we look at the data that has been released in England and see if the statement as to whether the current performance is really down to dry weather. In our second article we republish the article from the University of Manchester calling for the flow monitoring of CSOs. In our last article we relook at the article by Andy Godley of the WRc looking at how the water industry is finally installing alot more flow and level sensors in the wastewater system. Enjoy the latest edition, Oliver

1. WIPAC MONTHLY
The Monthly Update from Water Industry Process Automation & Control
www.wipac.org.uk Issue 3/2023- March 2023

2. Page 2
In this Issue
WIPAC Monthly is a publication of the Water Industry Process Automation & Control Group. It is produced by the group
manager and WIPAC Monthly Editor, Oliver Grievson. This is a free publication for the benefit of the Water Industry and please feel
free to distribute to any who you may feel benefit. However due to the ongoing costs of WIPAC Monthly a donation website has
been set up to allow readers to contribute to the running of WIPAC & WIPAC Monthly, For those wishing to donate then please visit
https://www.patreon.com/Wipac all donations will be used solely for the benefit and development of WIPAC.
All enquires about WIPAC Monthly, including those who want to publish news or articles within these pages, should be directed
to the publications editor, Oliver Grievson at olivergrievson@hotmail.com
From the editor............................................................................................................. 3
Industry news..............................................................................................................
Highlights of the news of the month from the global water industry centred around the successes of a few
of the companies in the global market.
4 - 11
Water Company Spill Performance - is it really down to the weather? ..........................
In this month's feature article we challenge the recent concept we have a look at the recently published storm
overflow data and challenge the concept that the reduction and whether the industry can really deliver 100%
monitoring by the end of 2023.
12 - 14
To clean up Englad's Rivers we need to know how much is discharged........................
Looking at both sides of the coin in this month's issue we reprint the article by Jamie Woodward of the University
of Manchester calling for the flow monitoring of CSOs so that we can know how much is discharged from the
wastewater system to the aquatic environment
15 - 17
At last - a smarter focus on wastewater flows and levels...............................................
In our final article of this month's edition we have another look at the article by Andy Godley of the WRc, one of the
UKs leading experts on flow monitoring at how the water industry is focussing much more on the measurement
of flow and level.
18-19
Workshops, conferences & seminars............................................................................
The highlights of the conferences and workshops in the coming months.
23 - 24

3. Page 3
From the Editor
I wanted to delay this latest edition of WIPAC Monthly until the event duration monitoring results for 2022 came out as
the issue of water pollution in England & Wales is an important one. The results certainly didn't disappoint this year
with a 19% decrease in spills and a 34% reduction in the time spilling. These are the headline figures that those who want
to make a point latch onto rarely scratching the surface of the problem. This why I have delayed a few days and put together
a special edition of WIPAC Monthly to have a look at the issues from a monitoring and data perspective.
In short there is a big problem and we have to go back to the headlines from the Environment Audit Committee report and
yes there is a need to measure to manage but we do need to prudent with that measurement. There has been a call to flow
monitor the CSOs, an approach that has been rejected by the government as too costly and actually pretty useless as well
Section 81 and 82 of the Environment Act 2021 will see monitoring of all EDMs reported in near real-time. We have seen
Thames Water publish their EDM data on a webstie for all to see. They are the first to publish all of the data but there are
other systems out there as well including Southern Water's Beach Buoy application.
The monitoring of overflows is already starting to get more and more attention within the water industry and various
water companies are already conducting trials to see how best to deliver things in the next Asset Managment Period and the one after that. On top of all of this
Emergency Overflows from pumping stations are set to be monitored as well as a great deal of pass forward flows. Things have come on along way from when
Flow Management of the wastewater system wasn't seen as a priority and wastewater treatment works quality compliance was the be all and end all of things.
However, we do have to be cautious, it does feel the industry is being pushed down more and more monitoring at a pace that is actually quite frightening. We
have to manage our expectations in how we can both deliver and maintain things. At the back-end of last year at the British Water Data Conference, in my
keynote, I talked about the ability of data to lie to us and my belief that some of the data from the EDM records that are published each year probably does.
The move by the Environment Agency to bring all of the EDMs under the MCERTS scheme is tantamount to agreement with this statement. The worry is that
at least some of the data is wrong.
When we install the thousands upon thousands of instruments that are going to be going into place in the next ten years we have to ensure that the installation
is right so that the data that we get from the instrumentation is right and we have to make sure that both the training, people and management systems are
in place to ensure that the data that we gather and report to the public is right too. Some big investment decisions are going to be made on how to deliver the
storm overflows reduction plan that the Government has priced at £56 billion and in reality may well end up costing alot more.
Yes we have to rectify the damage of decades of keeping water as a cheap resource and yes we must become the guardians of the water environment but all
being said and done it must be done in the right way. Monitoring is just the first step on a long journey that we must cut as short as possible but monitoring
done in the right way giving a honest apraisal of the situation.
Have a good month,
Oliver

4. Geospatial Commission launches new digital map of underground
pipes and cables
The Geospatial Commission today has launched a new digital map of underground pipes and cables - the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) is intended
to revolutionise the way we install, maintain, operate and repair the pipes and cables buried beneath our feet. The first phase of NUAR has been launched covering
North East England, Wales and London; future releases will cover the rest of England and Northern Ireland. Scotland already benefits from a system of this kind
and the Geospatial Commission has worked closely with colleagues in the Scottish Government on this development.
Dr Steve Unger, Independent Commissioner, Geospatial Commission, said:
“This first release of NUAR is a major milestone in a programme that will benefit everyone. By using the power of location data to plan and deliver street-works
more effectively, it will improve the efficiency with which we supply essential services and it will minimise the disruption experienced by other road users. Many
different asset types are buried beneath our feet, owned by many different organisations, large and small. We are delighted by the number of asset owners that
have recognized the value of working with us, to make the data that they hold more accessible.“And this release is just the start! Whilst it contains data from
over 80 organisations, we have already received data from over 100 more, and we are working with many more than that to progress their involvement in the
programme. I urge any asset owner that is not yet engaging with us to do so as soon as possible, to start benefiting from the service and ensure it best meets their
needs.”
The first phase of NUAR contains data from the public and private sector organisations who own pipes and cables in North East England, Wales and London. This
includes all of the major energy and water providers, including Northumbrian Water, Wales and West Utilities, Southern Electric Power Distribution and National
Grid, as well as smaller providers of these services, telecommunications companies, transport organisations and local authorities. This first phase, also known as
the ‘minimum viable product’ (MVP), is available to eligible organisations in the 3 areas. It is intended to complement current business practices initially and will
allow users to both plan for future adoption and provide valuable feedback to enhance the service further. The MVP will provide the first cohort of users in North
East England, Wales and London with access to the emerging platform.
Once fully operational across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, NUAR will help improve efficiencies in construction and development, reduce disruption to the
public and businesses (from extended road closures and congestion), improve workers’ safety and is envisaged to deliver at least £350 million economic growth
per year.
Peter Crosland, National Civil Engineering Director, Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) commented:
“CECA is delighted to be part of the NUAR initiative and we are really excited to see this next phase of the project rolled out. As a trade organisation with health,
safety and wellbeing at its heart, the NUAR programme is seen as key to ensuring industry makes the necessary significant improvements in the delivery of all
aspects of utility infrastructure. Adopting NUAR should provide a focus for working in a safer and more efficient manner.”
Melissa Zanocco, Head of Programmes, Infrastructure Client Group added:
“NUAR is forging a path that is critical for a National Digital Twin, demonstrating how we can collect shared data across organisational boundaries at a national
level. It will help with making better and safer interventions, contributing to our aim of transforming infrastructure performance to achieve better outcomes for
people and nature.”
There is estimated to be around 4 million kilometres of buried pipes and cables in the UK, and a hole dug every 7 seconds to install, fix, maintain or repair critical
infrastructure water, gas, electricity and telecoms assets.
Approximately 1 in every 65 holes dug results in an accidental asset strike (c. 60,000 a year), causing around £2.4 billion worth of economic cost, putting workers’
lives at risk and disrupting our day-to-day lives.
There are 650+ asset owners across the public and private sectors (including energy, water and telcos) who hold data about their own assets, which they are
required by law to share for the purposes of ‘safe digging’.
However, currently there is no standardised method to do this with multiple organisations having to be contacted for each dig, providing information in varied
formats, scales, quality and on different timelines resulting in a complex process for installing, maintaining, operating and repairing buried assets.
The government-led NUAR programme will create a single, comprehensive data-sharing platform on the location and condition of underground assets. The
fundamental purpose of NUAR is to streamline the data-sharing process, reduce the risk of potentially lethal utility asset strikes and promote more efficient
management and maintenance of underground assets.
Page 4
Industry News

5. Environment Agency publishes storm overflows spills data from
water companies in England for 2022
The Environment Agency in March published Event Duration Monitoring data for 2022. This includes data from all 10 water and sewerage companies (WaSCs)
operating in England, with information on the frequency and duration of storm overflow spills. Event duration monitoring data was returned from 13,323 storm
overflows during 2022 – with the duration and frequency of sewage spills now monitored at 91% of storm overflows across the country. This is up from 12,707
in 2021 (equating to 89% coverage).
Water Minister Rebecca Pow said:
“The volume of sewage being discharged into our waters is unacceptable and we are taking action to make sure polluters are held to account.By bringing in
comprehensive monitoring – up from just 7% in 2010 to the most extensive level ever now being at 91% – this government and its regulators have enabled the
extent of sewage discharges to be revealed, so that we are better equipped to tackle this challenge.We have set the strictest targets ever on water companies
to reduce sewage discharges, and are requiring them to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in their history – an estimated £56 billion in capital
investment over the next 25 years, driving more improvements. This is the game-changing action that will make the difference we need.”
The government has instructed water companies to install monitors on all storm overflows by the end of this year.
While the data shows a 19% reduction in the number of sewage spills - down from 372,533 in 2021 to 301,091 spills in 2022 - this is largely due to last year’s
below average rainfall. The data also shows that in 2022:
• The average number of spills per storm overflow was 23, compared to 29 in 2021;
• 3% of storm overflows spilled more than 100 times, compared to 5% in 2021; and
• 18% of storm overflows did not spill at all, compared to 13% in 2021.
Storm overflows are a safety valve designed to release excess storm water from the sewerage system into rivers or the sea during periods of rainfall and/
or snowmelt to ensure they are not overwhelmed. Water companies should only do this under strictly permitted conditions. EDM devices provide essential
information about storm overflow use, helping to hold water companies to account. The Environment Agency shares public concerns around storm overflows
and is calling for urgent improvements in storm overflow maintenance, management and investment by water companies.
Environment Agency Executive Director John Leyland said:
“The decrease in spills in 2022 is largely down to dry weather, not water company action.
“We want to see quicker progress from water companies on reducing spills and acting on monitoring data.
“We expect them to be fully across the detail of their networks and to maintain and invest in them to the high standard that the public expect and the regulator
demands.”
The Environment Agency will be carrying out further assessments of the latest data, which will inform the planning of the Water Industry National Environment
Programme for the next round of water company environmental improvements in the 2024 price review (2025 to 2030).
The data has also informed the development of the new duties brought in by government under the Environment Act 2021, including a new duty on water
companies to publish near real-time information on the operation of storm overflows and to monitor the water quality upstream and downstream of storm
overflows and sewage treatment works.
Storm overflows account for 7% of waterbodies failing to reach Good Ecological Status - a significant part of the 36% which fail due to impacts from the wider
water industry. Agriculture accounts for 40% of failures, while urban and transport pollution makes up 18%.
Click here to access the Event Duration Monitoring Data online
Page 5

6. Researchers awarded £2m funding to use quantum sensor technology
for environmental applications
New research into how quantum sensing technology can benefit environmental sciences has been launched at the University of Birmingham. Researchers in
the Colleges of Engineering and Physical Sciences and Life and Environment Sciences have been awarded two projects with £1 million each in funding from the
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Natural Environment Research Council to investigate ways to build better climate models and to
improve how (ground)water is detected in soils. The first project, titled QT Gravity for the Global Geodetic Reference Frame, is led by Dr Yu-Hung Lien, Professor
Kai Bongs, and Professor Michael Holynski at the University of Birmingham; and Dr Victoria Smith and Dr Paul Wilkinson, from the British Geological Survey
(BGS).
It aims to open up new applications for quantum sensing in the environmental sciences, specifically through greater knowledge and understanding of
environmental effects on the reference frames used internationally to monitor our dynamic earth, allowing better models to be made and improving evidence
for political decisions to be generated. The project will directly benefit geophysics, physics, and civil engineering research. The Global Geodetic Reference Frame
is essential for Earth Observation sciences in terms of providing a stable and accurate platform for monitoring the Earth system, from monitoring changes,
enabling disaster management, monitoring sea-level rise and climate change to providing accurate information for decision-makers.
These two projects mark the start of important research linking the potential of quantum sensor technology to help build knowledge around environmental
sciences. The second project, QS-GAMES, brings together researchers from across the Schools of Engineering, Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences,
and Physics and Astronomy at the University of Birmingham, as well as the British Geological Survey, to investigate how quantum sensors can bring benefit to
applications in the monitoring of ground water and aquifers and peatland regeneration.
The project is led by Professor Nicole Metje, Director of the National Buried Infrastructure Facility, in collaboration with Professor David Hannah, Professor
Stefan Krause, Dr Asaad Faramarzi, Dr Daniel Boddice, Dr Xilin Xia, Professor Kai Bongs and Professor Michael Holynski from the University of Birmingham and
Dr Paul Wilkinson from the BGS).
QS-GAMES will bring together internationally renowned researchers to increase the collaboration between environmental scientists, quantum physicists and
engineers to explore the potential for quantum technology gravity sensors to transform the detection of (ground)water in soils.
Given the increasingly extreme weather caused by climate change, it is vital to fully understand existing resources, including the often ignored ‘invisible water’
underground.
Despite its crucial role in droughts and floods, representing 90% of all natural disasters, water storage in river catchments (notably beneath the ground) is a
major source of uncertainty in future prediction capabilities of hydrological and climate models. Meanwhile, peatlands are an important natural carbon store,
and understanding the effects of complex hydrology on their health and regeneration is a topic of significant importance, with wet peatlands linking to all 17 of
the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The vision for the QS-GAMES project is to develop a transformative integrated framework bringing together novel sensors and practices in monitoring water
in the ground (aquifer, leaks) to improve understanding of seasonally varying complex and hidden water storage. The project will use world-leading expertise
in quantum technology sensing, hydrology, groundwater management, geophysical surveying, Artificial Intelligence and machine learning and geotechnical
engineering. It will also engage widely with end users, local authorities, industry and academia across quantum technology and environmental sciences.
Announcing the new funding, Dr Anna Angus-Smyth, Associate Director for Digital Environment, Infrastructure and Data at NERC said:
“Sensing technologies are key to our understanding of the environment and issues extending from adaptation to climate change to space weather. This
innovative cross-Council call highlights NERC’s interest in exploring the exciting potential of quantum devices to transform our understanding of the natural
environment. We are delighted to have awarded grants to the internationally leading UK Quantum Technology Sensors and Timing Hub, and we look forward
to the next generation sensing technologies they will develop with the environmental science community.”
Dr Simon Bennett, Director of the UK Quantum Technology Hub Sensors and Timing, said:
“We are delighted to have been awarded funding for these two projects, which mark the start of important research linking the potential of quantum sensor
technology to help build knowledge around environmental sciences.”
Page 6

7. Southern Water trials drone technology with farmers to cut herbicide
use
A trial of drone technology sponsored by Southern Water is helping farmers target pesticides only where they are needed – cutting costs and protecting the
environment. Ten arable farmers in Kent and West Sussex have been trialling the Skippy Scout system with expert guidance provided by the team at Drone Ag.
Assessing the practicality of using the system to locate weeds and target herbicide applications.
Barney Tremaine, Farm Manager for Cowdray Home Farms, is participating alongside agronomist, Stephen Woodley. Stephen Woodley said:
“The integration of Skippy Scout into crop agronomy has allowed areas of poor establishment to be identified, mapped, and recorded into a farm management
software. This has allowed us to explore targeted herbicide applications (propyzamide on OSR), reducing cost, environmental risk and leaving the opportunity for
spring cropping in failed areas”.
The trial started this year in two river catchments, where propyzamide and other herbicides are detected in raw water monitoring.
Zoë Fothergill, Senior Catchment Management Officer at Southern Water commented:
“The drone trial is already providing positive feedback from Western Rother farmers and their agronomists, who’ve used Skippy Scout, to support cropping
decisions and inform spray operations. The mapping has also been useful in comparing different break crops, supporting a more diverse rotation”. Crop rotation
protects soil health and improves yields.
The trial is part of a wider scheme run by Southern Water, working with farmers to raise awareness of herbicide losses and improve the quality of drinking water
sources. Funding projects to show the benefits of precision farming and cultural measures, such as cover crops and herbal leys to get on top of grass weeds.
Tom Ormesher, Catchment Delivery Manager for Southern Water added:
“Working with farmers is crucial for us - we’ve a shared interest in seeing healthy crops and soils to protect the quality of our drinking water. This kind of work can
cut chemical run off into rivers and save farmers money.”
Southern Water said the holy grail for the Skippy Scout project is to see whether it is possible to reduce the amount of pre-emergent herbicides applied by
monitoring crops and weeds over a few years.
According to the water company the project is in the first of three years and more data will be needed - but the signs are promising.
NI Water has announced plans to expand the use of innovative satellite leak detection technology. The move comes after a series of successful trials which
assisted the company in detecting leaks on their water network. The leaks are detected with the assistance of Satellite mounted SAR technology which identifies
water spreading from underground pipes. This innovative technology can penetrate below the ground surface. NI Water leakage teams work around the clock
locating and repairing issues, a mammoth task to maintain twenty-seven thousand kilometres of water mains. A large part of Northern Ireland is rural with many
of its pipes are located across kilometres of fields and hilly areas. It can therefore be extremely challenging to locate leaks when they do occur. The leakage
teams locate and repair approximately 220 leaks a week.
Head of Water with NI Water, Brian McCalmont, explained:
“NI Water is very much committed to reducing leakage which has been and will continue to be an ongoing challenge for NI Water, as it is for any water utility.
The recent freeze/ thaw in December 2022 is a reminder that our water system is vulnerable to nature. Extreme weather, hot or cold, can have a major impact
on assets, causing increased leakage within our network and on customer properties.While we have made significant progress in our leakage figures, we cannot
be complacent. As a company we are always looking at ways of working smarter and more efficiently. The satellite technology is an example of how NI Water
is embracing new methods in leakage detection which will help us continue to identify and repair leaks before they have an impact on our customers or the
environment.”
Suez and technology partner ASTERRA UK have been appointed to supply satellite leak detection services to NI Water - the contract is worth £2 million over a
4-year period.
To reduce leakage, the satellite mounted SAR technology identifies water leaking from underground pipes using algorithms that have been fine tuned to
recognise the signatures of water leaking from different systems. Points of interest (POI) are identified which are provided to NI Water in GIS (Geographical
Information Systems) data files, these files are overlaid with the water network pipe layer from the system owner to create a highlighted area (POI) for leakage
detection investigations by NI Water Leakage Technicians.
The water company has set a target of reducing leakage to the sustainable economic level of 150 million litres per day by 2027.in 2023. NI Water is assessing
the level of future leakage reduction as part of its Water Resource and Supply Resilience Plan, due for publication in 2023. The Plan will be based on the latest
climate forecasts for Northern Ireland, considering the impact on greenhouse gas emissions and affordability.
NI Water extends use of leading edge satellite leak detection
technology
Page 7

8. Adler and Allan acquire wastewater monitoring and management
specialist Detectronic
Environmental Services business, Adler and Allan, has acquired sewer and wastewater network monitoring and management specialist Detectronic, to further
enhance its wastewater telemetry and monitoring capability.
Detectronic is an environmental and engineering company with a proven track record of helping customers prevent flooding and reduce pollution. Detectronic
design and manufacture a range of flow and level monitors for wastewater monitoring including LIDoTT, a market-leading range of sewer level monitoring
devices. LIDoTT is specifically designed for widespread deployment across entire networks and provides utility companies with an early warning system for
pollution events.
Neil Butler, Managing Director, Detectronic, said: “We are delighted to be joining the Adler and Allan Group. The services Adler and Allan offer, combined with
its established position in the utilities market, allows us to extend our expert monitoring and management solutions to more companies.”
This acquisition positions Adler and Allan as a turnkey strategic partner to the utilities sector with services from initial investment planning consultancy, through
asset maintenance, environmental monitoring, and emergency pollution response.
Henrik Pedersen, Chief Executive Officer, Adler and Allan, said: “This is our fourth acquisition in the utilities sector, and sixth overall in the last 18 months. It is a
further step in the Group’s ambitious growth plans to support customers with a broader set of environmental challenges including trade effluent, wastewater
management and the hugely divisive and the high-profile topic of CSOs. With this latest acquisition, we are cementing our position as a strategic partner to the
water industry to manage and monitor their assets through the full lifecycle.”
This acquisition follows the announcement that consultative asset management, engineering, and commercial services company Aqua Consultants joined the
Adler and Allan Group in February 2023.
Launch Of Digital Twin BluePrint Unpacks Drivers, Barriers &
Applications
A collaborative effort between the SWAN Forum, BlueTech Research and Karmous-Edwards Consulting, and inspired by dozens of global utilities that contributed
their insights through a digital twin survey launched last year, this complimentary ‘Digital Twin BluePrint’ is a go-to introductory resource to help uncover some
of the basic elements of digital twins.
In this informative piece, you can begin to understand what constitutes a digital twin technology from across the digital water landscape, as well as understand
why model-based analytics provide powerful insights via the use of behavioral models and context data.
Speaking on the BluePrint’s contribution to the water sector knowledge base, BlueTech’s Research Director Rhys Owen remarked: “Digital twins are already
bringing huge benefits to utilities and industrial water users and are set to play a significant role in the ongoing digital transformation of the water sector but
are not well understood. We think that this guide will help provide an overview and starting point for anyone in the industry to gain an understanding of the
possibilities of digital twins.”
Adding his utility perspective, Satish Tripathi, Managing Engineer of SWAN Member Houston Public Works, and a co-lead within the global SWAN Digital Twin
Work Group, said: “This BluePrint has successfully pulled together a wide range of foundational digital twin information, from broad concepts to more specific
applications. This collaborative output represents a very comprehensive and easy to digest view of some of the potential drivers and barriers to digital twin
project deployment.”
Finally, Gigi Karmous-Edwards added: “It’s an ongoing pleasure to collaborate with leading organizations — SWAN and BlueTech Research — both serve as
catalysts for innovation, knowledge sharing, industry relevant research, and diverse stakeholder engagement surrounding sustainable water management
and water infrastructure resilience. In this ‘Digital Twin BluePrint’, we aim to introduce key digital twin concepts and applications as they reflect a continuous
evolution within our fast-growing global water community, proudly complementing the impressive efforts of SWAN's Digital Twin Work Group.”
Page 8

9. Royal HaskoningDHV And WBL Win Innovation Award In Digitalised
Water Management
Royal HaskoningDHV, in partnership with Dutch water authority Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg (WBL), were recently announced as winners of an Innovation award
in Digitalised Water Management at the Water & Energy Exchange conference (WEX) 2023.
The award was won for the implementation of a digital twin based on Twinn Aquasuite software that oversees nearly a thousand pumping stations to provide
clean water and prevent impending failures. WEX award recognises best-in-class digital infrastructure projects and AI initiatives within the water industry. It also
highlights how the digital transformation of water management helps to establish the models and living systems needed for a thriving planet and ecosystem.
The digital twin of WBL’s wastewater transport system uses a big data platform and machine learning models for problem detection and predictive maintenance.
This early detection based on Twinn Aquasuite application allows operators to take action to prevent the impending failures, improve performance and reduce
leakages providing essential clean water.
WBL produces purified water and converts sewage sludge into valuable raw materials and energy. The wastewater comes from 500,000 households and 30,000
companies in the province of Limburg. The digital twin implemented by Royal HaskoningDHV helps the Dutch water authority to oversee 17 sewage treatment
plants, 5 sludge dewatering plants, 144 sewage and 800 municipal pumping stations.
“In the future, WBL plans to extend this solution to 3,000 municipal water stations to gain real insight into how the water chain works as a whole”, said Léon
Verhaegen, Senior Project Leader of ICT and Innovation at WBL.
“We are happy to make a positive impact on society, helping to solve some of the most pressing challenges in water management,” said Melchior Schenk, Twinn
Aquasuite Business Development Director. “This is a testament to Royal HaskoningDHV`s expertise in the water treatment industry and our innovative thinking
in the field of digitalised water management.”
Twinn Aquasuite software uses machine learning to detect at a very early stage that pumps are beginning to deteriorate or that the pressure in pipes is reducing,
indicating a danger of a blockage. The digital twin then relays these warnings to the central control room, whereupon the operators take action to prevent
failures.
The WEX Global Awards showcase the best examples of circular economy strategies in the water sector, which are necessary to protect the planet and our future
resources. The project between Royal HaskoningDHV and WBL demonstrated the connectivity between digital and physical world and showed excellence in the
innovative application of technology, while supporting social and economic challenges. The winners were announced at the WEX Gala Dinner and Innovation
awards ceremony on 28 March, 2023.
South East Water Selects Samotics To Optimize Asset Performance
And Energy Efficiency
Samotics, a leading provider of real-time actionable insights to eliminate industrial energy waste and unplanned downtime, has been selected by South East
Water to complete a 12-month trial of its SAM4 system. This proof-of-value pilot forms part of South East Water’s proactive maintenance strategy, enabling the
delivery of safe and reliable drinking water services to approximately 2.2 million people across the south east of England.
The remote, hard-to-reach and often submerged locations of critical assets within drinking water treatment present a significant challenge for organizations
looking to adopt a proactive maintenance approach. South East Water needed a solution to overcome this, especially for its fleet of borehole pumps which are
partially submerged and difficult to regularly lift and monitor. SAM4 answers this need by monitoring and reporting on asset performance and efficiency without
needing to install sensors on, or even near, submerged assets.
“South East Water, like a lot of water companies, is trying to reduce the reactive nature of maintenance in favor of a more planned and predictive approach. We
selected Samotics’ SAM4 technology as it’s very easy to install with minimal downtime,” said Zoe Swan, Business Information Systems Project Manager at South
East Water. “It can be quickly installed onto our remote sites even when communication is an issue. Plus, it can be fitted to submersible assets without the need
of costly removal of these assets out of tanks or boreholes.”
Samotics’ SAM4 technology achieves this with a technique called electrical signature analysis (ESA). It analyzes the current and voltage signals of electric-driven
equipment such as motors and pumps to detect over 90% of developing mechanical and electrical faults up to five months in advance. The system’s sensors
install in the motor control cabinet, rather than on the pump itself, enabling reliable and remote capture of high-quality performance and efficiency data.
South East Water will also deploy Samotics’ SAM4 Energy solution to deliver detailed performance and efficiency insights to identify where energy consumption,
cost and efficiency losses are largest and implement data-driven recommendations across monitored assets. This analysis will help South East Water to identify
the assets with the highest energy savings potential and optimize its operations accordingly. This data-driven approach could reduce energy waste by up to 15%
and help the water company achieve its ambitious target of net zero carbon emissions by 2030.
Zoe Swan, Business Information Systems Project Manager at South East Water added: “Since it went live, the SAM4 dashboard has provided us with a lot of
useful information. For example, it has already picked out a number of our larger assets that have a very high potential of operational savings, which in our
current climate is another positive.”
SAM4 will monitor the performance and energy efficiency of dozens of critical assets, including intermediate pumps, borehole pumps and boosters, spread over
five locations in the region.
Page 9

10. Real-time early warning system could protect communities at risk
from flooding
Engaging communities in developing a real-time early warning system could help to reduce the often-devastating impact of flooding on people and property
– particularly in mountainous regions where extreme water events are a ‘wicked’ problem, a new study reveals.Flash floods are becoming more frequent and
damaging to the lives and property of vulnerable people, but researchers believe that using a SMART approach to engage with those living in such areas will
help to better signal impending risk from flooding.
Scientistsbelievethatcombiningmeteorologicaldatawithinformationonhowpeopleliveandworkinsuchregions,willhelpdisasterriskmanagers,hydrologists,
and engineers design better ways of raising the alarm ahead of major floods. Tahmina Yasmin, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham,
said: "A ‘wicked’ problem is a social or cultural challenge that's difficult or impossible to solve because of its complex, interconnected nature. We believe that
integrating social science and meteorological data will help to identify unknown parts of the puzzle when designing an early warning system."
Publishing their findings in Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, an international research team led by the University of Birmingham believes that
integrating science, policy and local community-led approaches will help to create environmental decisions that better fit the local context.
Co-author Tahmina Yasmin, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, commented: “A ‘wicked’ problem is a social or cultural challenge
that's difficult or impossible to solve because of its complex, interconnected nature. We believe that integrating social science and meteorological data will help
to identify unknown parts of the puzzle when designing an early warning system.
“Better engaging with communities and analysing social factors identified by the community at risk – for example, illegal settlement beside riverbanks or slums
– will help those driving policy to better understand the risks posed by these hydrometeorological extremes and plan flood response and mitigation which
provides communities with improved protection.”
The researchers say that using a SMART approach helps policy makers to expose communities’ vulnerability and risk, by using a set of fundamental principles:
• Shared understanding of risks ensuring every group of people in a community is represented and a wide range of data collection methods
are used.
• Monitoringrisksandestablishingwarningsystemsthatbuildtrustandexchangecriticalriskinformation-helpingtomaintaintheforecasting
system.
• Building Awareness through training and capacity development activities which embed understanding of real-time weather and flood alert
information.
• Indicating pre-planning Response actions on Time with comprehensive disaster management and evacuation plans based on the alert
produced by the EWS.
Co-author David Hannah, Professor of Hydrology and UNESCO Chair in Water Sciences at the University of Birmingham, commented: “Developing community
trust in government agencies and tech-focused forecasting, whilst using community-led means of gathering information in data-scarce mountainous regions is
critical in protecting vulnerable people.
“Using this SMART approach to engage communities in developing inclusive and purposeful early warning systems will undoubtedly help to develop capacity,
adaptation, and resilience in the face of more extreme water extremes, such as floods and droughts, and increased uncertainty under global change.”
ACCIONA wins the "Excellence in Digital Planning and Design
Implementation for the Year" Award
This month ACCIONA, a multi-national infrastructure solution conglomerate, has won the Excellence in Digital Planning and Design Implementation for the Year
Award during the gala of ME Digital Construction Awards in Dubai.
The company has been awarded for having developed a predictive model that uses satellite measurements and Artificial Intelligence tools to improve the
operation of Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) plants in the region.
This system can predictive the quality of water reaching desalination plants. Algae bloom, oil spills and jellyfish are just some of the phenomena that can clog
the filtering systems of desalination plants and cause operations to shut down. But with sufficient warning, desalination plants can stop extraneous matter from
entering filtering systems.
With the objective of identify when desalination plants might be at risk from algae bloom and other events, ACCIONA used NASA’s Modis Aqua Satellite to collect
data from the Persian Gulf from a number of parameters including water temperature, chlorophyll levels, salinity, and turbidity – a measure of the clarity of
water.
The award ceremony of ME digital Construction took place in the Habtoor Polo Resort in Dubai. The award was received by Vanesa Fernandez Membrillera, from
the O&M ME team and Jesús Sancho, the General Director for the Middle East last night in Dubai.
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11. Detecting Pollutants At Ultra-Trace Levels
Material scientists develop nano-structured and reusable substrate for ultra-sensitive detection of low-concentration analytes
Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (or Spectroscopy), known as SERS, is an advanced analysis method that extends the range of Raman applications to trace
analysis such as part per million level detection of a pollutant in water or different liquids. SERS has a high potential to be used in the fields of biochemistry,
forensics, food safety, threat detection, and medical diagnostics. But before the method can be applied at industrial and clinical level there is still a need for
inexpensive and reliable SERS substrates which allows reproducible spectral signals. Material Scientists of Kiel University carried SERS approach to an advanced
level by developing a new substrate with plasmonic and photocatalytic nanostructures. It increases the sensitivity, spatial and temporal resolution and leads to
50 times powerful analysis than classical SERS. Researchers designed this new substrate also reusable which significantly reduces the cost. Their results have
been published in the renowned journal Small.
The substrate plays a crucial role
Raman spectroscopy – named after the physicist and Nobel Prize winner Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman – is a method of determining the chemical composition
of materials and thus also detecting harmful substances. For this purpose, a material sample is irradiated with a laser. Based on the reflected Raman signal,
conclusions can be drawn about the properties of the material. “The substrate plays the most critical role in the performance of this analytic technique, because
of interactions with the laser light influence the Raman signal”, explains Josiah Ngenev Shondo. As a doctoral researcher at the Chair for Multicomponent
Materials he works on materials to improve the detection and photocatalytic clean-up pollutants in water.
By combining materials with different properties, the members of the chair have now succeeded in producing a novel substrate for SERS analysis that enhanced
the Raman signal by a factor of 50 in comparison to classical SERS. “That’s more than has ever been reported before for this method,” says Professor Oral Cenk
Aktas. That enormously increases the sensitivity, spatial, and temporal resolution in analysis of materials at trace amounts. As a result, even very small amounts
of material can now be analysed in a short time. Before and after the material analysis the researchers irradiate the substrate with UV light for activation and
clean-up, respectively. “This way the analyte is decomposed and the substrate, which is quite costly, can be re-used several times now. We showed that our
substrate can be reused at least twenty times without any loss of its Raman activity," Aktas continues.
This new substrate carries SERS approach to an advanced level
To achieve this the researchers created a novel surface composed of nanocolumnar structures, nanocrack network, nanoscale mixed oxide phases, and
nanometallic structures (“4N-in-1”). Such a surface enhances the Raman signal and provides a high detection sensitivity. “Recently PIERS (Photo Induced
Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy), a new extension of SERS method, has been proposed. With their novel PIERS substrate “4N-in-1” the research team contributes
to this new approach combining plasmonic and photocatalysis concepts to achieve high resolution and signal enhancement in SERS analysis. “Our substrate
brings various superior properties together on the same substrate. In addition to the plasmonic nanostructures, it is composed of extremely active titanium
dioxide layer." says Dr. Salih Veziroglu. His research on the substrate materials was partly funded with a grant from KiNSIS (Kiel Nano, Surface and Interface
Science), a priority research area of Kiel University.
Further plans: Spin-off and combination with AI methods
"This substrate is the result of many years of long-standing experience and various expertise in our chair. Now we want to transfer our findings from fundamental
research into an application," says Professor Franz Faupel, head of the chair. Their substrate can easily be combined with any type of Raman spectroscopy, and
this may trigger various new applications. To bring their advanced method of Raman spectroscopy to the market, they are looking for other research groups and
companies in the area of laboratory and analytical technology. They also plan to combine their method with artificial intelligence (AI) to create a comprehensive
data basis for materials analysis. This could enable faster and more precise detection of also individual molecules.
One idea for a concrete application was already investigated by Shondo in his doctoral thesis, which is about to be completed. In 2018, the materials scientist
came to Kiel University with a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to do something about the environmental pollution in his home
country of Nigeria. The extraction of the country's large oil deposits contaminates soils, rivers and even drinking water. With the new substrate Shondo and his
colleagues have developed, he also sees potential for using it with portable Raman spectroscopy equipment in Nigeria: "Since even small amounts of oil can be
detected and even removed, this method could be used at an early stage and prevent worse environmental damage."
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12. Article:
Water Company spill performance – is
it really down to the weather?
Introduction
In England it is the time of the year when the water companies are set to get criticised for the performance of their storm overflows as everyone looks at the
outline data and says what a poor job has been done to reduce the number of spills to the environment from CSOs. This year has of course been no different
and although there was a 29% reduction in the number of the storm overflows in terms of actual spills as well as a 34.2% reduction in the number of hours of
spills this was mainly put down to the fact that it was a dry year. So let’s look at the actual performance and some key figures that the Environment Agency has
provided, analyse some of the data and look at the question as to the performance of the water companies was mainly due to the fact that it was a dry year
(well we were in drought…)
So, what are the long-term trends?
From this we do have to ignore the first few years. Why – well the water companies were requested to install the flow monitors from 2015-2020 in these years
when the EDM monitors were being installed the number of monitors were increasing at a rapid rate and so as we monitored storm overflows with increasing
number of monitors we would expect for the numbers to go up. By April 2020 the vast majority of flow monitors were meant to be installed under the original
Ministerial Direction and what was requested under the AMP6 Water Industry National Environment Plan (WINEP). Taking this into account 2020 was the first
real year that we start to get some idea of the vastness of the problem.
Looking at 2020 the picture of storm overflows is horrific with over 3.1 million spill hours and over 403,000 spill events using the Environment Agency 12/24
method.
However, this is not the full picture as not every single overflow is monitored and even at the current day we are only looking at 91% of the picture. The original
request in the Ministerial Direction was for the vast majority. The Environment Agency and the Water Companies realising the situation are now installing 100%
coverage across all CSOs and this is the right thing to do. The timeline – by the end of 2023.
Let’s look at the performance on the numbers of Event Duration Monitors installed.
And in a graphical form it looks like:
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13. The challenge that has been set is for 100% of Event Duration Monitors to be delivered by the end of 2023. Will the industry actually achieve this. Let’s look at
the run rate that has been achieved since 2020.
Looking at the current run rate, although it is accelerating it is unlikely that the industry will actually achieve 100% EDM coverage by the end of 2023 with some
companies severely lagging behind the curve with three companies alone having to deliver 1,041 EDMs in a 12 month period. It is possible but difficult to achieve.
Was the water company performance down to a dry year?
It was clearly stated this year that:
While the data shows a 19% reduction in the number of sewage spills - down from 372,533 in 2021 to 301,091 spills in 2022 - this is largely
due to last year’s below average rainfall.
Now is this true?
Was 2022 a dry year and was the cause of the 19% reduction of EDM spills and the decrease in the total event duration by 34.2% down to dry weather.
Undoubtedly 2022 was a dry year and we did have droughts but if we look at the dry weather performance of wastewater treatment works (as defined by the
Environment Agency method of what a dry day is) we actually see that on average 2022 was only 18.1% drier that 2021 which was 6.25% wetter than 2020. If
compare 2020 to 2021 then 2022 was only 13.25% drier. This will vary quite a bit from wastewater treatment works to wastewater treatment works and the
figures that have been worked with show a variation of up to 27% drier but on average 2022 was 18.1% drier than the year before.
On this basis have the water companies been doing things about reducing storm overflows. Well -using the published data by the Environment Agency let’s have
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14. a look.
What we can see is that some of the water companies are actually doing very well in reducing the number of spills with five of the ten companies reducing spills
by over the reduction in flow into wastewater treatment works. Looking at the figures there is still a lot to do for the other five water companies and there has
been some effect of dry weather on some of the companies. Is it unfair to say that the water company reduction in overflows is down to dry weather…as always
when you make a generalised statement such as has been made it will be for some and not for others.
ABB Technology Helps Equip New Zealand With A More Resilient
Water And Wastewater Infrastructure
In New Zealand, challenges with the management of the country’s water supply and infrastructure have until recently been ‘out of sight and out of mind’ –
largely hidden in the country’s vast underground network of pipes – making problems tricky to trace, monitor, and fix.
A growing awareness of the ageing and failing nature of New Zealand’s drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater infrastructure, and of the multi-billion-dollar
national water infrastructure deficit, has brought these issues into the light and under scrutiny.
With its slogan, ‘If the water is healthy, the land is healthy, the people are healthy,’ Water New Zealand, the industry body for New Zealand’s three water sectors
(drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater) is highlighting the threat that issues with the water infrastructure pose to public health, wellbeing, and the fair
distribution of resources.
The New Zealand government, meanwhile, has been running campaigns across the water sector on the need to improve the safety and quality of water services
in affordable and equitable ways, and at the same time has introduced regulations to ensure that the quality and certainty of water supply can be tracked and
measured in ways similar to the electricity sector.
Wellington Water manages the water infrastructure for six New Zealand councils; an infrastructure that includes 105 water pump stations, 248 wastewater
pump stations, approximately 148 reservoirs and 27 storm water pump stations at various sites. The council owned water services company is responsible for
sourcing, treating, distributing, and discharging water and wastewater to a resident population of about 436,000, making the challenge it faces relating to using
resources more efficiently and sustainably immense.
Thankfully, ABB’s pioneering water measurement solutions, which integrate automation, instrumentation, electrical/digital packages, and specialist consultancy
services are helping Wellington Water to control water pressure and monitor water flow in a way that’s sustainable, cost-effective and safe. The market-leading
highly reliable technologies and services provided by ABB are not only helping the company to process water more efficiently, but they’re also reducing energy
consumption by up to 10%, and at the same time improving New Zealand’s water quality.
You can’t manage what you can’t measure, which is why ABB’s Measurement & Analytics solutions are so important to Wellington Water and its sprawling
network of water pipes. ABB’s technologies give Wellington Water the ability to measure, store data and track water flow passing through pipes in real-time.
And as Paul Winstanley, Wellington Water’s Utilities Planning Engineer, explains, the fact that ABB has evolved its technologies to improve efficiency and meet
new regulatory demands doesn’t mean that the older ABB units in place across much of the company’s vast water pipe network are redundant and in need of
replacement.
“We mainly use ABB’s WaterMasters. For many years we used ABB’s MagMaster units, which were outstanding, and we have now adapted to the new
WaterMasters by back-engineering these to fit the old MagMasters. This is very beneficial and cost-effective for us.”
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15. Case Study:
To Clean Up England's Rivers
We Need To Know How Much
Sewage Is Discharged
UK environment secretary Thérèse Coffey has demanded that water companies share plans for how they will reduce sewage discharges into rivers. They could
start by coming clean on how much sewage is being dumped. If we don’t know how much sewage is actually being released — for at least the worst offending
locations — we won’t be able to measure environmental and industry improvement with any confidence.
Water companies in England have failed to invest sufficiently in wastewater treatment and sewerage infrastructure to keep pace with increasing populations and
more intense rainfall. To take pressure off their sewer networks, companies allow huge volumes of untreated wastewater and sewage to be dumped into our
rivers and coastal waters.
In the absence of effective regulation since the Environment Agency’s monitoring budget was slashed just over a decade ago, dumping sewage in rivers has
contributed to a spectacularly profitable business model. Sewage pollution incidents — many of which were legal — increased 29-fold over five years and
countless urban rivers are now effectively extensions of the sewerage network. Our rivers are running out of time.
Only 14% of rivers in England have “good” ecological status and this figure could fall to just 6% by 2027. In February 2023, campaigns to save Britain’s rivers were
launched by the Times, the Independent and New Scientist.
Water companies are under unprecedented scrutiny from the media, politicians, activists, university researchers like me and the wider public. Politicians know
the sewage dumping scandal could cost seats at the next general election.
This is why Coffey is now demanding “every company comes back with a clear plan for what they are doing on every storm overflow, prioritising those near sites
where people swim and our most precious habitats”.
Mapping Sewage
Thames Water recently launched an interactive map of 468 sewer overflow locations. The map updates every ten minutes, and shows in near real time where
the company is discharging untreated wastewater and sewage to rivers.
The Thames Water sewage discharge map for Sunday 15 January 2023. Red shows an overflow that has polluted a river within the
previous 48 hours. Orange shows an overflow that is currently discharging. A green tick indicates no current discharge.
Thames Water
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16. In the middle of January 2023, after rainfall, about one third of the Thames Water sewer outfalls were discharging and another third had done so within the
previous 48 hours. The map has also confirmed that many sewage discharges take place during dry weather.
The Thames Water sewage discharge map for Sunday 15 January 2023. Red shows an overflow that has polluted a river within the previous 48 hours. Orange
shows an overflow that is currently discharging. A green tick indicates no current discharge. Thames Water
Thames Water is the first water company to make such data across its entire region available to the public. The map highlights the staggering scale of the
pollution problem and adds to a growing body of evidence showing that water companies are routinely using overflows to dump sewage and other pollutants
such as microplastics as an alternative to treatment.
We Know When Sewage Was Dumped — But Not How Much
But as a geographer and geomorphologist who specialises in rivers and has taken a keen interest in this sewage crisis, I know there is something missing in the
data. Sewage discharges to rivers are recorded by sensors known as event duration monitors. These measure the start and end time of any flow, but are rarely
set up to measure the volume of that flow.
This leaves the data open to manipulation. Was an “event” 100 litres or 1 billion litres? 1 billion might sound far-fetched, but Mogden sewage works next to
Twickenham Stadium discharged over 1 billion litres of sewage directly into the River Thames on each of two days in October 2021.
So a water company could in theory reduce the duration and frequency of discharge events — turning the above map from red to green — but still increase the
total amount of sewage dumped into rivers.
The absence of reliable baseline data on sewage dumping is a major problem and research has shown that water companies have not reported the full scale of
their discharges.
The Environment Agency has a poor record of sewage pollution data scrutiny and several water companies are now routinely declining environmental information
requests. How can we address the biodiversity crisis and make rivers safe for recreation if we don’t have reliable data on the volumes of pollutants pumped into
them?
People need accurate information on what is happening to their local rivers so they can identify the worst offending discharge sites and hold water companies to
account. The Thames map is therefore a welcome step towards increasing transparency in the water industry and rebuilding trust, but it does not go far enough.
We Need Sewage Volume Data
In July 2022, United Utilities, which serves north-west England, announced a £230 million investment to upgrade wastewater treatment infrastructure on several
rivers by 2025. The company states this will reduce the discharge of untreated wastewater and sewage into the region’s rivers by “more than 10 million tonnes a
year — the equivalent of 4,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools”.
This is a remarkable admission of sustained sewage dumping on a colossal scale. It appears water companies can provide volumes when it suits them.
Water companies in England have been unwilling to calibrate their event duration monitoring sites to estimate sewage volumes. Yet they routinely collect very
accurate data on the volumes of drinking water supplied to millions of homes, in order to calculate water bills.
The 2021 Environment Act requires them to make near real-time data about the frequency and duration of sewage discharges publicly available no later than
2025. But if the government’s plans to reduce sewage dumping are to be realised, we still need to know wastewater discharge volumes.
The Environmental Audit Committee made such a recommendation in its landmark 2022 report on river pollution, but the government argued it was too
expensive. If Thérèse Coffey is serious about tackling this scandal, she must reverse that decision.
This article was written by Jamie Woodward of the University of Manchester it is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read
the original article.
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17. Page 17

18. Article:
At last – a smarter focus on
wastewater flows and levels
Spills from wastewater system storm overflows have attracted much media attention, and the Government has just concluded its consultation on developing a
Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan (SORP). Andy Godley, from the Water Research Centre (WRc), looks at the latest developments in wastewater flows
and levels.
It is difficult to argue with the sentiments behind the consultation and there is no doubt that some overflows have been spilling for longer and/or more
frequently than their designers intended. There are various reasons, including increased paved surfaces in urban areas causing more surface water run-off,
higher local populations unmatched by increasing sewer capacity and lack of maintenance, leading to blockages and higher infiltration.
However, some of the ideas presented in the consultation are over-simplistic – for example an arbitrary target of 10 spills per year – and all carry a cost as
identified in the accompanying Storm Evidence Overflows Project report 1. The consultation acknowledges the efforts being put into increased monitoring of
CSOs; by the end of 2023, all should be fitted with an event duration monitor (EDM).
Reliable and accurate monitoring relies on choosing the most appropriate sensors for the application, ensuring good installation and commissioning practice
and maintenance. It is important to note that this does not just apply to the sensor, but the whole data chain from the sensor to data storage and processing.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that many existing EDMs are not installed to best practice, and data from 2021/2 shows that 13% of installed EDMs had less than
90% operability.
The Environment Agency is about to publish its long-awaited guidance on the use of EDMs for monitoring those spills closest to treatment works to demonstrate
compliance with works’ permits. This is being incorporated into the MCERTS self-monitoring and inspection schemes. Together with supporting MCERTS
product standard to demonstrate the fitness for purpose of EDM instruments, this will improve the accuracy with which these spills are monitored. However, if
we are to get serious about spills wherever they occur in the network, these same standards should be required for all EDMs to ensure reliable and consistent
monitoring.
Radar based level sensors are now challenging ultrasonic level sensors on price and beginning to take market share for EDM and open channel flow applications.
WRc’s experience in testing radar level sensors for MCERTS product certification shows that performance is very good, with currently certified sensors achieving
the best performance level of MCERTS Class 1 with a combined performance characteristic less than 0.2%.
Whilst it is clearly time for a close look at overflows, this needs to be in the overall context of the wastewater system from collection to treatment. Application
of smart technology in the wastewater system has lagged behind its use in the clean water network but is beginning to catch up. Companies such as United
Utilities, Severn Trent and Southern Water are installing networks of sewer level monitoring equipment and working with suppliers such as Detectronic to apply
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19. AI and data analytics to turn that data into actionable information.
This enables more rapid detection of developing blockages and increasing infiltration and helps reduce spills. WRc has also explored the potential of linking in
other data, such as rainfall, to help manage capacity at works to deal with incoming surges – the so-called “first flush” during a storm that can contain high levels
of solids picked up by the sudden surge in flow.
Wastewater level is reasonably straightforward; however, flow measurement presents different measurement challenges in that much is in channels and sewers
with free surface flows and the fluid contains fats and debris that will foul many sensors.
Non-contact sensors are an attractive option to deal with fouling. Various non-contact sensors are now available that use radar or laser techniques to obtain a
water velocity reading. Used together with a level sensor, such sensors can provide volumetric flow. However, these sensors typically measure velocity at, or
near, the surface and this needs to be converted to a mean velocity taking account of the through depth and cross-channel velocity profiles. WRc has been using
advanced computational modelling (CFD) techniques to explore in more detail how free surface flows behave, and from that how such devices should be used
to meet accuracy required by the regulator.
This modelling is showing complex flow patterns where secondary flows caused by local turbulence have a significant impact on the relationship between
surface and mean velocities, even in long straight channels. When disturbances are present, this further affects the predictability of that relationship. This is
borne out by the testing we have carried out on such devices where the response to a given flow condition is not always as expected. Testing and modelling point
towards the need for onsite calibration to allow for site-specific flow conditions. This will be further explored as our project progresses.
In conclusion, flows and levels in the wastewater network are at last receiving the attention needed to improve wastewater management. This is spurring
innovation in sensors and data analytics to turn that data into useful information. However, as with all measurements, the benefits will only be fully realised by
remembering the basics of right equipment, good installation and commissioning, and maintenance.
About the Author
Andy Godley has been involved with flow and metering for over 25 years covering a wide range of applications including water, wastewater
and biogas. I have worked on open channel and closed pipe flows. At the moment a significant proportion of my work is focussed on
household water metering (including smart or intelligent metering) and effluent flow monitoring to meet regulatory requirements under
MCERTS. His work includes testing, evaluation, standards development, policy development and general consultancy.
Satellites reveal hotspots of global river extent change
Rivers are one of the most dynamic components of the water cycle on Earth's surface and play a significant role in the development of human societies,
ecosystem sustainability, and regional climate. However, their natural balance has been threatened by human disturbances and ongoing climate change, as
evidenced by changes in river extent over recent decades.
In order to better understand what is behind these changes, researchers led by Prof. Song Chunqiao from the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology of
the Chinese Academy of Sciences and their collaborators from China and the United States have analyzed water extent variations using four decades' worth of
Landsat imagery in order to globally attribute recent changes in river regimes to morphological dynamics or hydrological signals.
The study was published in Nature Communications on March 22.
For quantifying and interpreting multi-decadal changes in river extent on large spatial scales, the researchers used information from two major state-of-the-art
surface water databases: the Surface Water and Ocean Topography River Database (SWORD) and the Global Surface Water (GSW) database.
They compiled a new reservoir inventory to define new reservoir-type river reaches (Type-R). The remaining basin-wide river changes were classified into two
types—morphological dynamics (Type-M) and hydrological signals (Type-H)—using a machine learning classification approach.
"We provide the first-ever attribution of different types of river extent changes on a global scale," said Prof. Song.
The results showed that changes based on morphological dynamics prevailed in about 20% of the global river area. In this type of river basin, high percentages
of narrowing and widening were observed along different banks of river reaches, which are associated with meandering, braided, and branching or wandering
river channels—all variations of flow regimes.
Globally, dam construction emerged as a major contributor to river widening. "New dams, mostly skewed in Asia and South America, contributed to 32% of the
river widening," said Prof. Ke Linghong, a primary author of the study.
Changes attributed to hydrological signals were revealed in contrasting hotspots, including areas characterized by prominent river widening in alpine and pan-
Arctic regions and by narrowing in arid or semi-arid continental interiors. "These phenomena were driven by varying trends in climate forcing, cryospheric
response to warming, and human water management," said Wu Qianhan, a student from NIGLAS and another primary author of the study.
The study provides global-scale but spatially explicit guidance for better prioritizing future river protection and restoration efforts under the UN 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development, which calls for international action to track the spatial extent of water-related ecosystems and their condition.
Page 19

20. Water, Wastewater & Environmental Monitoring Conference & Exhibition
Birmingham, UK
9th - 10th October 2024
WWEM is moving to the Birmingham NEC in 2024. Planning is still underway but the firm favourites like the Flow Forum,
Instrumentation Apprentice Competition and the Learning Zone will be returning as well as some surprises. Watch this space for
updates but what is sure that in its new home in Birmingham the WWEM Conference and Exhibition will be bigger than ever.
Sensor for Water Interest Group Workshops
The Sensors for Water Interest Group has moved their workshops for the foreseeable future to an online webinar format. The next
workshops are
19
th
April 2023 - Milton Keynes - Operation & Maintenance of Sensors in the Water Industry
24
th
May 2023 - London - Optimising water & waste systems using AI,ML and IOT
IWA Digital Water Summit
Bilbao, Spain
14th -16th November 2023
The highly successful IWA Digital Water Summit returns to Bilbao in November 2023 for its 2nd edition. These dates are provisional
at the moment. The 1st summit highlighted the potential and the 2nd summit will build on the first in November 2023
Sensing in Water 2023
Nottingham, UK
27th -28th September 2023
After its break due to the Covid Pandemic the Sensors in Water Group 2-day conference returns to the Nottingham Belfry to talk
about all things sensing. What this space for more updates
SWAN Forum Conference
Glasgow, Scotland
9th -11th May 2023
This year the SWAN Conference returns to the UK and specifically Glasgow with the aim this year to ask attendees to answer the
question of how to make Smart Water mainstream.
Global Smart Water Metering & Intelligent Data Utilisation Conference
London, UK
26th -27th April 2023
At this conference, case studies and practical solutions from the United Kingdom, Europe and the rest of the world will be presented,
illustrating how water utilities in particular scenarios and markets evaluate the business case for investing in smart metering
technologies to achieve their core objectives.
Global Leakage Summit
London, UK
5th -6th September 2023
The Global Leakage Summit returns to London in September, 4-6 at the Thistle Hotel (formerly Amba), Marble Arch, London, for its
13th year, bringing to delegates the usual mix of top quality UK and international water utility speakers it has become renowned for.
Page 20
Conferences, Events,
Seminars & Studies
Conferences, Seminars & Events
2022 Conference Calendar

21. Page 21